Town wants to know if taxpayers happy with police

SPRINGHILL - Public opinion of the Springhill Police Service will be measured at the polls.
At its regular monthly meeting, the Town of Springhill announced a survey will be issued online, to senior complexes, Springhill High and issued with the quarterly tax bills seeking public input on policing in the community and determine the satisfaction of taxpayers.
"The survey is very good in that we want to get an overview from the citizens," Mayor Allen Dill said. "It's a positive. We want to know what we're doing right and what we need to improve on."
The survey, which will be co-ordinated and administered at arms length by the Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association, will cost the town about $700; $450 for the survey and additional for advertising and distribution.
"This is a positive survey. We want to have a reading from our citizens and know where we're at and if we need to improve we want to know that too."

Police Service currently under investigation
SPRINGHILL - The Springhill Police Service is under investigation after a formal complaint, otherwise known as a 'Form 5,' was brought forward by a member of the public.
Springhill Police Commissioner John Alderson confirmed the investigation, explaining that while details of the complaint are not public the investigation is under way and in the hands of another municipal police deptartment.
"The Police Act dictates how things unfold," Alderson said. "The decision was to have an impartial person complete the investigation. Someone from another municipality has come in and is handling the investigation."
A Form 5 is a legal process regarding some activity of a police department and the professional mechanism citizens use when they believe they have been wronged.